Abstract

To the editor: Two clinical studies and an editorial in the November 1975 Annals (1-3) and another study cited (4, 5) conclude that azathioprine is of no demonstrable benefit in the management of patients with lupus nephritis—disagreeing with two other reports (6, 7). It is true that if a large number of clinics each study an ineffective drug in a small number of patients, it is likely that, by chance, a few clinics will show a "statistical" advantage of the drug. It is equally true, however, that among the same clinics studying an effective drug, each again in a small